Electric signaling apparatus



(No Model.)

W. E. DEOROW.

ELECTRIC SIGNALING APPARATUS.

No., 595,375. Patented Dec. 14,1897.

UNITED STATES PATENT Prion ILLIAM E. DEOROIV, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

ELECTRIC SIGNALING APPARATUS SPECIFICATION forming part of LettersPatent No. 595,875, dated December 14, 1897.

Application filed July 17, 1897.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM E. DEoRow, of Boston, county of Suffolk, andState of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in ElectricSignaling Apparatus, of which the following description, in conned tionwith the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like letters andnumerals on the drawings representing like parts.

This invention relates to electric signaling systems, particularlyadapted for police sig naling purposes, wherein two classes of signalsare transmitted and it is desirable to audibly distinguish one class ofsignals from the other.

The invention has for its object to improve and simplify theconstruction of the means employed for distinguishing the signals to theend that for one class of signals a succession of taps will be soundedor a bell caused to ring repeatedly for very short intervals of time andfor the other class of signals the bell will be caused to ring for along time or continuously until reset by hand. In lieu of a bell anordinary sounder may be employed, if desired.

It is now customary in police signaling systems to divide the signalsinto two classes, one class containing the on-duty signals and the otherclass containing the wagon, telephone, and other important signals; butat the present time the onduty signals are received silently i. e.without audible indication-and the important signals are announced bythe loud ringing of a bell. If the officer in charge of a stationdesires to know whether the officers on the beats are properly sendingin their on-duty signals, he must watch the strip and note thelocations, and as a result considerable time and attention are required;but by so constructing and arranging the parts that the onduty signalsare announced by taps or short rings of the bell and the importantsignals are announced by a continuous ringing of the bell the officer incharge may know without watching the strip What signals are beingreceived and consequently What oflicers are sending in their on-dutysignals.

The invention consists in the combination, with a message-recordinginstrument which is constructed and arranged to receive both Serial No.644,908. (No model.)

the on-duty and special or important signals, of abell, or it may be asounder, adapted to respond to the successive impulses of one class ofsignals and to ring continuously upon the reception of a signal of theother class; also, in the combination, with a message-recordinginstrument, of a bell, or it may be a sounder, adapted to respond to allsignals received by said instrument, means for continuously ringing saidbell, and a device controlled by a differentiating impulse for settingsaid means in operation.

Figure 1 shows a diagrammatical View of a suflicient portion of anelectric signaling system to illustrate my present invention; Figs. 2and 3, modifications to be referred to.

In connection with this invention any wellknown or suitablemessage-receiving instrument or register may be employed, and suchregister may be either a single or multiple pen register, although thelatter form is preferable, as the signals from several circuits may bereceived and recorded upon the same strip of paper and but one trainemployed. In the present instance I have illustrated my invention inconnection with a multiple-pen register of ordinary construction,arranged to receive the signals from four separate circuits, and itcomprises, essentially, a normally-wound train for moving forward thestrip of paper upon which the message is to be recorded, anelectromagnet M for releasing said train, four pen-magnets, as 6 andpens e, operated by them, which press the paper against themarking-wheels, which are inked by suitable inking devices provided forthe purpose. The pen-magnets c are included in local circuits controlledby relays K, which latter are included in the separatesignaling-circuits. one signaling circuit at (0, having signalboxes a.As many signal-boxes are or may be arranged in or included in theseveral signaling circuits as may be desired, and they each containmultiple-signal transmitters adapted to transmit two different classesof signalsor messagesviz., special or important signals, which requireimmediate attentionsucl1, for instance, as a wagon-call, atelephone-call, and the likeand on-duty signals, which do not requireimmediate attention, and said multiple-signal transmitters I have hereinillustrated Lil are included or connected in the normallyclosed circuitsat.

In conjunction with the register a creeper mechanism is shown which isadapted to operate in conjunction therewith on the reception of thespecial or important signals only, and hence said creeper mechanism isconstructed and arranged to respond to the differentiating impulsethatis, to an impulse which differs from the regular signaling impulses-andfor simplicity I prefer to employ impulses of long duration, as thedifferentiating impulse, such an impulse differing from the regularsignaling impulses by reason of its excessive length, as the regularsignaling impulses are of very short duration. The creeper mechanismherein shown consists, essentially, of a sector m, provided with aserrated or roughened edge loosely pivoted to a short arm m, fixed torock-shaft or pivot a, and a toothed or serrated wheel 077?, secured toa shaft 7' which may be one of the shafts of the train of the recorder,and said sector is adapted to be moved into and out of engagem ent withsaid wheel. When the parts are at rest, the sector at falls by gravityout of engagement with the wheel m but when the magnet M is energizedand its armature attracted by reason of the connecting-rod a connectingthe armature-lever with the arm m the said sector will be thrown intoengagement with the toothed wheel m and as the wheel turns said sectorwill be raised or turned upwardly on its pivot. The arm on, carrying thesector, will of course be vibrated in response to the impulses receivedand therefore will hold the sector in engagement with the wheel m alength of time corresponding to the length of the impulses, and for animpulse of short duration will hold the parts in engagement but a shorttime, and for an im pulse of long duration will hold the parts inengagement a corresponding length of time. A pin n projects from thesector m, upon which rests the outer or free end of a contactpen mlocated adjacent to but insulated from a contact-pen m and as saidsector is lifted the contact-pen 072 will be raised, and upon theoccurrence of an impulse of long duration said sector will be raisedsufficient to raise the contact-pen m into engagement with thecontact-pen m and thereby close a local circuit '6, containing a localbattery t and an electromagnet 15 The on-duty or patrol signals arecomposed of a series of short breaks or changes in the condition of thecircuit. Therefore such signals include a succession of short impulses,and the special signals are composed of a long break followed by aseries of short breaks. Therefore such signals comprise a long impulseand a succession of short impulses. This impulse of long duration is inthe present case the differentiating impulse. On the reception of anonduty signal the armature of one of the relays K vibrates, closing thelocal circuit containing one of the penmagnets e" and also thereleasing-magnet M, thereby releasing the normally-wound train andrecording the signal or message upon the strip, and upon the receptionof a special signal the same operation of parts takes place; but inaddition thereto the armature of the relay K is held retracted upon theoccurrence of the impulse of long duration, and the armature of thereleasing-magnet M will be correspondingly held attracted long enoughfor the creeper mechanism to operate and close the local circuit 25 andthereby attract the armature of the electromagnet 25 The armature of theelectromagnct t is carried by an armature-lever i pivoted at '6 andhaving a latched end which engages and holds the drop in elevatedposition, and pivoted arm P, which when released falls and closes upon acontact t, which is connected with one of the local circuits of thereleasing-magnet M.

A bell (1, herein shown as a vibrating bell, is provided as theindicating instrument for the special signals, and said bell isconnected at 2 3 with the local circuit containing the releasing-magnetM, and when said local circuit is closed the armature d of said bellwill be attracted to tap the bell, and at such time the current passesfrom the binding-post 2, through wire at, wire 5, bell-magnet and wire6, to binding-post As the on-duty signals are received the bell d willrespond by taps to the successive impulses of the signal.

7 represents the local battery included in wire 8, which leads to thearm 5 and to a binding-post 9 on the bell, and wire 10 leads from saidbinding-post 9 to a back contact 12, which is engaged by the vibratingcontactplate 13 on the bell-armature, and when the arm 5 is released andcloses on the contact i a local circuit containing the local battery 7will be closed, and the bell will respond as an ordinary vibrating belland will ring continuously until the drop t has been raised and thelocal circuit opened. Upon the occurrence of the impulse of longduration which precedes a special signal the bell will thus be caused toring continuously.

It will be seen that the bell cl is herein constructed and arranged toserve as a tap-bell for the impulses of short duration and to ringcontinuously when the drop '6 falls; but in lieu of providing a bell ofsuch construction an ordinary vibrating bell, such as shown in themodification Fig. 2, may be employed, it being set in operation forimpulses of short duration and caused to ring continuously on thereception of the differentiating impulses.

By means of the indicating device herein shown it will be seen that notonly is the special call audiblyindicated, but also the on-duty callsare audibly indicated to such an extent that a person familiar with theservice may by listening to a call readily tell what officer hastransmitted it.

It is obvious that the bell maybe connected in circuit with themessage-recording instrument in different ways and still respond inaccordance with this invention. Therefore I do not desire to limit myinvention to the particular way herein shown for connecting said bell incircuit with the message-recording instrument.

In lieu of providing the local circuit 25 and magnet 25 and drop icontrolled by it, for closing the short circuit for the bell andretaining it closed until said drop 15 is reset by hand, thecontact-pens m m may directly operate said short circuit, as shown inmodification Fig. 3, wherein it will be seen that the pen m is formedwith a latched end, and pen when lifted will be engaged and held by saidlatched end until said parts are disengaged, and said pen m is connectedby wire with the post 3 of the bell, and the pen m is connected by wire8 with the .post 9 of the bell.

1. In an electric signaling apparatus, a signal-box having means fortransmitting two classes of signals, one of which is accompanied by adifferentiating impulse, a messagerecording instrument for receiving thesig nals of both classes, and a bell constructed and arranged to respondsuccessively to the impulses of one class of signals, and to respondcontinuously upon the reception of a signal of the other class,substantially as described.

2. In an electric signaling apparatus, a signal-boX having means fortransmitting two classes of signals, one of which is accompanied by adifferentiating impulse, a messagerecording instrument and a bell forreceiving the signals of both classes, means for continuously ringingsaid bell, and a device controlled by said diiferentiating impulse forsetting said means in operation, substantially as described.

3. In an electric signaling apparatus, a signal-box having means fortransmitting two classes of signals, one of which is accompanied byadifferentiating impulse, a messagerecording instrument for receiving thesignals of both classes a bell also responsive to the signals of bothclasses, a short circuit for said bell, a circuit-closer for said shortcircuit, and means for operating said circuitcloser controlled by saiddifferentiating impulse, substantially as described.

4. In an electric signaling apparatus, a signal-box having means fortransmitting two classes of signals, one of which is accompa nied by adifferentiating impulse, a message recording instrument for receivingthe signals of both classes, a bell connected in circuit therewith andresponsive to all signals received by it, a short circuit for said bell,a circuit-closer for said short circuit adapted to be manually reset,and means for operating said circuit-closer controlled by saiddifferentiating impulse, substantially as described.

5. In an electric signaling apparatus, a signal-box having means fortransmitting two classes of signals, one of which is accompa nied by adifferentiating impulse, a messagerecording instrument for receiving thesignals of both classes, a bell, the operatingmagnet of which isconnected in circuit with said recording instrument to respondconcurrently therewith, a short circuit for said bell, a vibratingcircuit-closer therefor actuated by said operating-magnet, and anothercircuitcloser for said short circuit, and a device operated by saiddifferentiating impulse for operating said last-named circuit-closer,substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

\VILLIAM E. DEC/ROW.

\Vitnesses:

B. J. NoYns, ARTHUR F. RANDALL.

